1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tray and dolly assembly.
2. Background Art
A typical dolly has a generally flat floor which may be supported by casters. A tray may then be placed on the dolly. Sometimes, the tray is configured to allow multiple trays to be stacked on top of each other with the bottom tray resting on the dolly. These stackable trays are suitable for many purposes, including use as a multi-level bakery tray. An existing multi-level bakery tray is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,902 issued to Ackerman which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,902 describes a multi-level bakery tray with a generally rectangular bottom and generally rectangular opposed sides and end walls. When multiple trays are stacked on top of one another, the distance between one tray floor and the next tray floor is determined by the orientation of the trays relative to each other. That is, when multiple trays are stacked in a like orientation, shallow pockets receive feet in a high position, and when one tray is rotated 180 degrees, deep pockets receive the feet in a low position. Although improved trays such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,902 have been developed, existing dollies are still rather plain and generally lack features. That is, with some existing dollies, trays may sometimes slip off of the dolly or become misaligned. Some existing dollies have a retaining lip around the outside edge of the dolly to retain the tray.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an improved dolly and an improved tray and dolly assembly in which the dolly includes improved features that help prevent trays from slipping off the dolly and/or becoming misaligned. Also, there is a need for enhancing the stackability of trays upon a dolly.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved dolly, and an improved tray and dolly assembly in which the dolly includes one or more features that compliment the tray features to provide an overall enhanced tray and dolly assembly.
In carrying out the above object, a tray and dolly assembly is provided. The tray and dolly assembly comprises a dolly and a tray. The dolly has a floor with upper and lower surfaces. The floor has a plurality of protruding members extending upwardly from the floor upper surface. The tray has a floor with upper and lower surfaces. The tray floor has a plurality of openings. The tray further has a pair of opposed side walls. When the tray floor is received on the dolly floor, the plurality of protruding members extends into the plurality of openings to interlock the tray with respect to the dolly. Advantageously, the upwardly extending protruding members on the dolly floor cooperate with the openings in the tray floor to provide improved interlocking of the tray with the dolly.
Preferably, the tray and dolly assembly further comprises a plurality of casters supporting the dolly floor. More preferably, the dolly floor is rectangular in shape and has four corners. The plurality of casters is preferably four casters with a caster located proximate each corner of the dolly floor.
In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of tray floor openings extend through the tray floor (as opposed to forming only recesses in the tray floor). Further in a preferred embodiment, the tray floor comprises a lattice structure defining the plurality of openings, and the plurality of protruding members extends into the plurality of openings but does not extend beyond the tray floor upper surface. In this way, the dolly floor protruding members do not interfere with the lattice floor of the tray. In a suitable implementation, the protruding members are diamond-shaped, and the dolly floor is rectangular in shape and defines a central opening.
Further, in carrying out the present invention, a tray and dolly assembly is provided. The tray and dolly assembly comprises a dolly and a tray. The dolly has a floor with upper and lower surfaces, and a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a locking portion. The tray has a floor with upper and lower surfaces. The tray has a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a bottom locking portion. Each dolly side wall locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion on the tray to interlock the dolly with the tray. In a preferred implementation, each tray side wall has a top locking portion, and each tray side wall top locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion of a next tray to allow a stack of trays to be placed on the dolly with adjacent trays interlocked with each other.
Preferably, the dolly floor is rectangular with four corners and with a caster located proximate each corner of the dolly floor. In a preferred implementation, each dolly side wall locking portion has a plurality of inwardly extending locking portions.
More preferably, each tray side wall top locking portion includes a plurality of inwardly extending locking portions that are shaped substantially the same as the dolly side wall locking portions inwardly extending locking portions. In a suitable implementation, each dolly side wall locking portion has a middle trapezoidal inwardly extending locking portion and each tray side wall bottom locking portion has a middle trapezoidal recess. Further, in a suitable implementation, each dolly side wall locking portion further has a pair of outside triangular inwardly extending locking portions, and each tray side wall bottom locking portion further has a pair of outside recesses.
Still further, in carrying out the present invention, a tray and dolly assembly is provided. The tray and dolly assembly comprises a dolly and a tray. The dolly has a floor with upper and lower surfaces and with a plurality of protruding members extending upwardly from the upper surface, and a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a locking portion. The tray has a floor with upper and lower surfaces and with a plurality of openings. The tray further has a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a bottom locking portion and a top locking portion.
Each dolly side wall locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion on the tray to interlock the dolly with the tray such that the plurality of protruding members extends into the plurality of openings. Each tray side wall top locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion of a next tray. This allows a stack of trays to be placed on the dolly with adjacent trays interlocked with each other.
Preferred implementations of the tray and dolly assembly comprehend additional features mentioned previously, including casters, protruding members extending into the openings but not extending beyond the tray floor upper surface, a tray floor lattice structure, and inwardly extending locking portions on each dolly side wall, among other features. Advantageously, in this embodiment, the protruding members extend into the openings while the dolly side wall locking portions abut mate with the tray side wall bottom locking portions to interlock the dolly and the tray.
The advantages associated with embodiments of the present invention are numerous. Embodiments of the present invention provide various embodiments for a dolly and various embodiments for a tray and dolly assembly that improve over existing dollies and existing tray and dolly assemblies. Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention provide enhanced features on the dolly that, when a tray is placed in the dolly, cooperate with features on the tray to interlock the dolly and the tray. Suitable implementations have a feature or multiple features on the dolly that prevent the tray from slipping off of the dolly, and impede translation or rotation of the tray with respect to the dolly when the tray is received on the dolly.
The above object and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.